FEATURE


PHOTO: KOFIMAGE, SHUTTERSTOCK MOUNTAIN BIKING HAS AN IMAGE PROBLEM


Why the cycling industry needs to address how mountain biking is represented to expand its market.


Mountain biking is… Your lived experience might be very different from


When you think about that, what springs to mind? What is mountain biking for you? What words or imagery does mountain biking conjure? It’s very personal, and for each of you, it’s likely different. However, when we look at the typical portrayal of mountain


biking, to an outsider looking in, they likely see a very limited perspective. Even those who exist in the space, within the bubble of the industry, may see a limited view of unlimited possibilities. Mountain biking has an image problem. And that’s a concern. It might not seem like it, but it’s potentially damaging the growth of our sport.


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others. This might be a non-issue to you. It may not even be something you’ve considered before. It’s just riding bikes after all, right? Commercial aspects aside, we know what’s helped to sell bikes in the past and that has its space. But what about space for everything else? For many, mountain biking doesn’t look accessible. Some people feel like they don’t deserve a space in the sport. That they aren’t fast enough, like they don’t have the right equipment or kit. Some people can’t afford it. We’ve perpetuated an idea that to ride mountain bikes, you need to ride at a certain level or speed to be taken seriously or be considered good enough.


April 2025 | 37


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